Water heater and control switch therefor



Nov. 20,1923. 1 15,003"

I M. D. DOMINGUEZ WATER HEATER AND CONTROL SWITCH THEREFOR --Filed May 20. 1922 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES MANUEL n. DOMINGUEZ, or NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOB or TEN PER onN'r T CHARLES news, AND enonen snnr z, BOTH-.02? NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

WATER HEATER AND CONTROL SWITCH THEREFOR.

Application filed May 20, 1922. Serial No. 562,442. 7

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MANUEL ,D. DoMIN- GUEZ, a subject of Spain, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water Heaters and GontrolSwitches Therefor, of which the following is a specification. I i

'The invention relates to electric water heaters, and has as an object the provision ofan eflicient heating system which shall be readily portable. A further object of the invention is the provision of a water heater having a thermal device to control the electrio circuit which heats the water. An illustrative embodiment of the invention-is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Fig. 1 is a planview;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a heating unit;

Fig. 3 is a detailinvertedside elevation of a heating coil with a portion of the easin removed; Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the complete device upon a smaller scale than that of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan'view of the construction shown in Fig. 4; f

Fig. 6. is a detail vertical section upon an enlarged scale of a control valve;

Fig. 7 is an inverted detail central'vertical section of the thermal element and switch; i

' Fig. 8 isfa transverse section on broken line 8 -8 of Fig. 7.

,The heating unit shown in Figs. land 2 comprises a pair of insulating disks 1 and 2 formed of refractory material. held in separated positionbymeans of a rod 3 and nuts 4 5, (land 7. To hold'the element in place tor use, a bar having a depressedcen ter and upwardly ofiset arms 8 and 9 is shown as secured to the disk 1 by means of i a nut 10. A similar bar placed at right strips 13- 14; are attached to the disk 1 as by means of screws 1516. The metal strips are, shown as angular in form with the securing screws at the end of one wing and with a binding screw 17-18 at the angle of each A binding screw 1920 is also shown at the end of the other wing, which is up tively by means of the screws 17 and 18.

The helices of which the resistance elements consist are passed alternately through holes in the disks 1 and 2, the elements of the individuals of the series being mounted in openings concentric with the others.) To prevent deflection of the longitudinally extending portions of the helices a flexible cord of incombustible 'material is threaded th-rough'each longitudinal extension and se cured to the disks 1 and 2 The heat gen .eratedby the resistance wires is applied to the water by mounting the'heating element,

as already indicated, within a coil 25 of a pipe formed ofa metal of high conductivity, as for instance copper, said coil having its terminals 35-36 connected, one with the bottomof a reservoir 39 and the other projecting thereinto and having a pipe iO extending towardthetop of the reservoir.

' The coil 25 is shown as encased within a casing 26 and thespace outside of the. coil within thecasing may be packed full of heat vinsulating material 28, suchas mineral wool. Thecasing is preferably formed of two halves which may be connected together by means of perforated lugs 32, screws 33 being passed therethrough, and nuts- 34 tightened on the screws for a secure attachment.

Theterminal 36 of the. coil is shown as connected with a, Thaving an outlet pipe 37 ,upon one branch thereof and supplied with a faucet 38 by means of which hot water may be drawn at will, The casing 26 isshown as provided with a projecting portion 29'which is divided upon the line of division between the two halves of the casing; An opening is formed therein'provided with an insulating button 30 for passage of the cord 31 supplying current to the heating unit.

To control the application of the heat to the water in the reservoir 39 in an ellieient manner the top of the lpipe 4:0 is shown as provided with a special form of valve comprising a thimble 4-rl having an upwardly tapering frusto-conical nozzle, and the end. of the pipe 40 is'castellated, as is shown at 42, Fig. 6.

A ball 43 of some material lighter than water, as cork r hollow hard rubber, or light metal is shown seated upon the top of the castellations. When steam is formed in the coil 25 so as to provide a rush of water upwardly in pipe 40 after the nature of a percolator, the opening from the nozzle ill will be closed by the ball 43 and the steam will be forced to find an outlet backward through pipe 35, thus delivering the steam through the body of the water in the reservoir 39 to rapidly and effectually heat the mass of water therein.

Preferably elbows 47-48 are provided upon the reservoir 39 between which elbows a gauge glass 46 is mounted so that the level of water in the reservoir can be readily determined.

To control the temperature in the reservoir a thermal switch, shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is provided. The thermal actuation of this switch is controlled by means of an expansible fluid, such as air or gas. or even a liquid which is sealed within a shell 49, passing through the lower wall of the reservoir 39, the joint where the element passes through the wall of the reservoir being sealed by means of a nut lock 81 and gasket 80 clamped against a ring 52, exterior of the casing. The ring 52 is shown as formed with a shoulder against which a concaved diaphragm 51 is pressed, a gasket 50 of compressible material being interposed to provide a gas-tight enclosurefor the contents of the shell 49. By the term continuously acting as used in the claims, applicant intends to refer to the fact that the current flows continuously in the heating coil, except as controlled by the thermal switch, as long as the device is connected. to a source of current, and is not affected by the presence of water in the heating coil 25.

The terminal 53 is shown secured to the ring 52 and insulated therefrom by means of washers 5l55, one of which passes through an opening in the terminal so as to insulate the securing screw 56 from the terminal. Integral with the terminal 53 there is an upstanding ear 57 having a lever 58 pivoted thereon by means of a pin 59. The lever 58 carries an upwardly off-set terminal through Which an adjusting 'ser w 61 passed, inseleted'ittir ren by integral therewith to which post a means of a washer 60, the body of the washer preferably passing through a perforation in the terminal so as to complete the insulation therefrom. An adjusting screw 62 is shown and a spring 6 -3 anchored to the screw 61 and also to an ear (it secured to the ring 552. The resistance to movement of the bar It? can therefore be adjusted by turning the screw (32. To the center f the bar h a post ("if") is shown an attached, having a button (56 sccuird upon its end, at i i the tip of the hnlton bei formed of insulating nial'orial and sta ding =lose to the diaphragm when in its inwardly convex Form.

A bar 67 is slrwn as projecting under bar 53 and as secured to and insul ted from the ring a binding post being formed w re 70 is shown as attached by means of a s v 69. The second wire of the cord 31 is shown as attached by a binding screw 74lto a post 72 integral with a second terminal 7 The terminals 53 and 71 are adapted to make contact with a plug 79 mounted upon a current supply cord 80 having an extension plug 81 at its end which may be screwed into any available electric light socket. A, cover 7 5 may be secured over the switch and the terminals 53, '71 by screw 7 6 taking into the edges of the ring 52.

Preferably a cover 44; is shown for supplying the interior of the casing 39 with water, and the reservoir may be suspended in any desired location by means of cars 4-5. The casing 39 is adapted to be supported from the casing 39 by means of the pipes 35-36.

The current will be supplied to the heat ing element at any time that the temperature of the water in the. reservoir 39 falls below that for which the thermal switch is set. hen merely stean'i passes upward tl'irough the pipe 40 it will he allowed to readily escape through the castellation 42, but when steam is generated so rapidly as to pro vide a rush of water up the pipe the hot water and steam will be forced backward through the pipe 35 so as to very rapidly heat the water inv the casing 39. However when water is drawn from the faucet 33, since the valve 41 will be substantially at all times above the level of the water in the reservoir; the water flowing from the faucet will come through the heating coil. and will therefore be the maxinnim ternperature at which the water will he found in the system, There is therefore provided an eliieient hot water supply system which is automatic in operation and which is readily portable, being not dependable upon a pres sure water supply system for its action. The reservoir 39 may be made of any desired size and may be heat insulated in any desirahle manner.

Minor changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the invention without departing from its spirit.

I claim:

1. A Water heating system comprising a reservoir, a continuously acting heater connected to said reservoir and means to re verse the circulation of Water through said heater upon the generation of steam pressure whereby Water and steam from the heater will be delivered to the bottom of the body of Water in the reservoir.

2. A water heating system comprising a reservoir, a heating coilhaving a connection adjacent the body of said reservoir and a second connection opening adjacent to the top of the interior of said reservior, means to reverse the natural heating circulation of Water through said heater.

3. A water heating system comprising in combination, a reservoir, a heating coil having one end connected to the bottom of said reservoir and the other end extending Within the reservoir and terminating in a stand pipe opening'adjacent the top of the interior of the reservoir, a valve upon said stand pipe adapted to allowv free escape of steam and air but to check the escape of water, whereby pressure of steam must escape from the heater through the lower connection to the reservoir. i

at. A heater comprising in combination a helical coil of pipe, spaced disks Within said coil, arms secured to said disks having upwardly ofi set portions, the oil-setting of the arms being unequal to icoact With the opposite sides of the pipe helix, the arms at the top and bottom of the heater unit being at 90 to each other, and resistance elements mounted between said disks.

MANUEL D. DOMINGUEZ. 

